Maths from Year 6 to GCSE is one continuous build. Year 6 fractions and first formulae turn into Year 7 equations, Year 8 and 9 graphs and ratio, and then the full GCSE course, so a gap left in Year 7 tends to surface as a “GCSE problem” three years later.
What is ClassArc?
ClassArc is live one-to-one online maths tutoring for school-age children. One teacher and one child, for 55 minutes. The same teacher every week. Classes run inside our own classroom software, not a video call: a shared worksheet you both write on, a shared whiteboard, and answers that sync live.
The short answer
Each school year in maths stands on the one before it. The fractions a child adds in Year 6 become the algebraic fractions of Higher GCSE; the missing-number puzzles of Year 6 become the equations of Year 7 and the quadratics of Year 10.
That is why the useful question for a parent is rarely “is my child on track this year?” It is “is last year’s maths solid enough to carry this year’s?” This guide sets out what is new in each year, the four points where gaps most often open, and what to watch for at each.
Timeline
The National Curriculum sets out Year 6 content year by year, but treats Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 as single blocks, so each secondary school chooses its own order. The rows below show a typical order, not a fixed one.
| Year | Key stage | What is new | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 6 | KS2 (end) | Adding and multiplying fractions, ratio and proportion, simple formulae, percentages of amounts, area of triangles and parallelograms, volume of cuboids, pie charts, the mean | KS2 SATs in May: an arithmetic paper and two reasoning papers, reported as a scaled score from 80 to 120, where 100 is the expected standard |
| Year 7 | KS3 | Algebraic notation, simplifying and solving linear equations, all four operations with negatives, converting fractions, decimals and percentages, angle facts | School baseline tests, often used for the first maths sets |
| Year 8 | KS3 | Ratio problems, straight-line graphs and y = mx + c, probability, compound area and volume, expanding and factorising single brackets, often standard form | End-of-year school exams |
| Year 9 | KS3, or the start of GCSE | Pythagoras’ theorem, often right-angled trigonometry, simultaneous equations, nth-term sequences, compound percentages | Many schools begin GCSE content this year |
| Year 10 | KS4 (GCSE) | Quadratics, more trigonometry, similarity and congruence, probability trees; Higher adds circle theorems, vectors, surds and algebraic proof | A provisional tier forms; Year 10 mocks |
| Year 11 | KS4 (GCSE) | Finishing the course; Higher adds harder algebra, functions, and the sine and cosine rules | Mocks, tier entry, then three 1h 30m papers in May and June, one of them non-calculator |
Two things a table cannot show. Most GCSE content is Key Stage 3 content taken further rather than brand-new material. And the pace quickens: a topic that gets several weeks in Year 6 may get one or two in Year 10.
Transition points
Each of these is predictable, which means each can be prepared for rather than discovered after a disappointing report.
The move to secondary changes how maths is taught as much as what is taught. A specialist maths teacher replaces the class teacher, homework becomes weekly and often online, and letters start standing in for numbers in almost every lesson. Many schools also set pupils for maths, using SATs results alongside their own tests.
Where it usually goes wrong Times tables and fractions that are still slow. Year 7 algebra assumes both are automatic.
Year 8 has no national tests and no change of school, so it attracts little attention. Yet the ratio, linear graphs and bracket work taught here return again and again at GCSE.
Where it usually goes wrong A child who copes in lessons but cannot start homework alone. That is often the earliest sign of a gap building.
Whether the school starts GCSE in Year 9 or Year 10, this is when maths becomes cumulative and shaped around three final exams. A view on tier forms from Year 10 results: Foundation covers grades 1 to 5, Higher covers 4 to 9, with a grade 3 allowed.
Where it usually goes wrong A set change, or a suggestion of Foundation tier for a student who wants grade 6 or A-Level Maths.
Year 11 brings the least new content and the most pressure. Mocks arrive in the autumn or winter and tier entries are confirmed. Grade 4 matters beyond the certificate: students in England without it must keep studying maths after 16 under the DfE’s condition of funding.
Where it usually goes wrong Whole topics quietly skipped in revision. They are usually the Year 8 or 9 topics that never became secure.
For parents
A Year 9 student stuck on simultaneous equations often has a Year 7 problem with rearranging. Going back to that step is faster than re-teaching Year 9. These signs are worth acting on at any stage:
How ClassArc helps
A ClassArc student keeps one teacher for every class, so the person who spots a Year 7 gap is still there when it would otherwise cost marks in Year 10. Before each lesson the teacher checks which unit school has reached, so the tutoring follows school rather than running a second syllabus alongside it.
In Year 6 the focus is arithmetic fluency and the fractions and early algebra Year 7 depends on. Across Years 7 to 9 it is closing Key Stage 3 gaps, especially algebra, ratio and number. In Years 10 and 11 it is the GCSE course by board and tier, with past papers.
The free first class starts a little above your child’s current topic and works backwards until the ground is firm. Afterwards you are told plainly what was found. Classes are from £11, 55 minutes, one to one.
teacher, from the first class to the last, whichever year your child starts in
Next
What the final primary year covers, from fraction arithmetic to the first algebra.
Read the Year 6 guideYears 7 to 9 in one place: the topics, the usual order and where students get stuck.
Read the KS3 guideSetting, homework, specialist teachers and how SATs data is used when your child starts Year 7.
Read the postOne-to-one GCSE classes by board and tier through Years 10 and 11.
See GCSE tutoringCommon questions
First class
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Last updated · May 2026
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Last updated · May 2026
ClassArc is a one-on-one online tutoring service. We provide live, scheduled classes between a teacher and a student, along with homework, feedback, and study support.
Each class is 55 minutes. You can reschedule or cancel a class up to 5 minutes before it starts. If you miss a class without notice, we usually credit it back to your balance and reschedule based on what works for the teacher and student.
The first demo class is free, no card required. After that, plans are billed in advance for the number of classes you choose (8, 24, or ~48). We'll send you a payment link directly once you've picked a plan.
If you want to stop classes at any point, we refund whatever class balance is left on your plan. No questions asked, no friction. Refunds are processed within 7 business days.
We expect students and parents to treat teachers with respect, and teachers to do the same. We reserve the right to end the relationship if classes become unsafe, abusive, or disruptive, with a full refund of any unused balance.
If we update these terms, we'll email you before the changes take effect, so you have time to review them.
For anything, email hello@theclassarc.com.